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Modern warfare has found a new and unexpected protagonist: the drone. No longer relegated to the role of elite surveillance platforms, Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) have become an omnipresent and fundamental tool in every phase of combat, leading to a true escalation in production and military usage.
The Revolution of Logistics and Mass Production
The news that has dominated recent military reports is the use of thousands of drones in short spans of time. This sheer massiveness is not accidental, but the direct consequence of a redefined military strategy and war economy.
Today, the drone offers a decisive economic advantage. An FPV (First Person View) attack drone can cost a few hundred or thousand euros—a negligible cost compared to the value of a tank or artillery piece it is capable of destroying. This imbalance in cost has made drones a weapon of "mass consumption" and attrition.
The other key factor is production speed. The use of readily available Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components has allowed for rapid production, often on an artisanal or semi-industrial scale. This bypasses the long procurement cycles of traditional weaponry, ensuring a constant supply to sustain high-intensity conflict.
The Ukrainian Front: A Laboratory for Saturation Warfare
The conflict in Ukraine is the primary case study for the massive use of drones, demonstrating how quantity has become a quality in itself.
We are witnessing the widespread deployment of FPV Drones, agile and fast platforms, often adapted from commercial models, used in large numbers for point-and-shoot attacks against high-value targets such as armored vehicles and bunkers. Their agility and tactical use in swarms render traditional air defenses ineffective against such small and numerous targets.
Concurrently, "Kamikaze Drones" or Loitering Munitions, such as the Shahed-136/Geran-2, are employed for saturation attacks against logistical and energy infrastructure. The strategy is clear: to overwhelm or exhaust the enemy's stockpile of expensive interceptors through a deluge of low-cost platforms.
Finally, the relentless use of ISR Drones (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) ensures constant surveillance—the "eyes" above the battlefield—preventing secret troop movements and providing crucial real-time data for artillery. The result is a battlefield where air superiority is no longer defined by fighter jets, but by who can field and replace the largest number of low-cost uncrewed aerial platforms.
The Countermeasure: A Strained Defense Against Sheer Volume
The offensive escalation based on quantity has severely challenged conventional air defense systems, triggering a race for Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS).
The fundamental issue is the economic unsustainability of defense: firing an anti-aircraft missile, which costs hundreds of thousands or millions of euros, to shoot down a drone worth a few thousand is militarily inefficient.
This has pushed forces toward Electronic Warfare (Soft Kill). The most common defense is the use of jammers (electronic disruptors) that block GPS and control signals. These devices, often installed on vehicles and tanks, create a "bubble" of protection against the imminent attack.
In parallel, investments are being made in Hard Kill solutions, with the development of Directed Energy weapons, such as high-power lasers. These technologies promise an extremely low cost per shot, which is crucial for countering the threat of swarms. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now fundamental for managing mass attacks, distinguishing and prioritizing hostile drones in a saturated air environment.
The increase in the use and production of drones in conflicts is not just a technological trend, but an epochal shift in military doctrine. The combination of low cost, high effectiveness, and the difficulty of defense has made drones the defining factor in current conflicts, forcing every military to invest heavily both in their offensive integration and in C-UAS systems.
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